Join Microsoft's Silicon and Cloud Hardware Infrastructure Engineering (SCHIE) team, the driving force behind our expansive cloud infrastructure. We power Microsoft's "Intelligent Cloud" mission by delivering core infrastructure and foundational technologies for over 200 online businesses. Our mission is to empower every person and organization to achieve more. If you are passionate about cutting-edge technology and a growth mindset, this is your opportunity.

The Firmware Center of Excellence within SCHIE focuses on building next-generation hardware and firmware for Azure infrastructure, including servers, silicon, and rack systems. We are committed to innovation in firmware technology to ensure the security of Microsoft Azure. Our team collaborates closely with AI and Azure-Core teams on the architecture and development of Cobalt and Maia systems within Azure data centers.

We are seeking a highly motivated Principal Software Engineer with a solid background in embedded systems firmware development to contribute to our innovative environment.

Lead the architectural vision and strategic direction for backend firmware systems crucial for AI accelerators like MAIA. Ensure these systems are scalable, performant, and secure across all SoC platforms.

Mentor team members in firmware development, debugging, and optimization, providing technical guidance across multiple subsystems and components. Serve as the key technical liaison between hardware/software architects, development teams, and validation/integration groups to ensure firmware aligns with product objectives.

Evaluate emerging trends in cloud firmware and AI hardware, proposing and prototyping innovative solutions to enhance product capabilities and operational efficiency. Lead complex system-level debugging, perform root cause analysis, and optimize performance across hardware and firmware interfaces.

Take ownership of the entire firmware development lifecycle, from initial concept and design through to bring-up, validation, manufacturing, and productization. Guarantee the delivery of high-quality, production-ready code.

A Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electronics Engineering, or a related discipline is required.

This role demands over 12 years of professional experience in firmware or embedded software development, with a significant emphasis on multicore systems and scalable architecture. A proven history of leading complex SoC bring-up initiatives and successfully delivering production-grade firmware solutions is essential.

Expert proficiency in C/C++/Rust is mandatory, alongside demonstrated experience in designing and optimizing low-level firmware components. A strong understanding of computer architecture, including processors, buses, memory hierarchies, and interconnects, is highly preferred.

Familiarity with CPU execution modes, memory coherency, protection mechanisms, interrupt controllers, and virtualization concepts is beneficial. Hands-on experience with board bring-ups, platform initialization, and board support packages is advantageous. Knowledge of hardware accelerator software design and extensive experience with RTOS scheduling in multithreaded SMP and heterogeneous computing environments are also preferred.